At the beginning of the 2012 season, the Arizona Cardinals looked like one of the top teams to beat in the NFC as they jumped out to a 4-0 start–only to win once over their next 12 games to finish the season with a 5-11 record. Unfortunately, the quarterback position was one of the main reasons why the team struggled so much last year, but now that Carson Palmer is on board–the team hopes that will no longer be an issue in 2013.

Luckily, Palmer will have the benefit of playing alongside one of the top wide receivers football has to offer in Larry Fitzgerald and from the way things have looked so far–the former No. 1 pick loves playing with his new teammate.

Palmer recently praised how awesome it was to have Fitzgerald to throw to in the passing game and was even kind enough to compliment his teammate by saying he is on a completely different level that only Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions is capable of reaching. With this in mind, let’s hope the duo of Palmer and Fitzgerald are enough to help Arizona bounce back next season.

As bad as it sounds, the 2013 season could be Palmer’s last chance to prove himself as a starter in the NFL. Despite his impressive numbers last season, the argument can be made that most of those numbers came from when Palmer and the Cardinals were playing from behind in the second half.

Only time will tell when it comes to what type of impact Palmer will have on the offense, but on the bright side–at least he’s an upgrade compared to what Arizona had last season at quarterback.